``LIKE ANIMALS WE PLAY PRETEND || [mia]

[david elliot goll]

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HERE WE GO AGAIN
i feel the chemicals kicking in
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<sup>The sounds rang out, from the dings, to the bings, to the bahs to the dahs, the sound of children laughter and the buzz of video games circled the small room which housed the many stands and displays, plastic guns and scrambling children. The sound of coins being dispensed at the acceptance of a dollar bill echoed. This was the Lima Shopping Center's very own Video Arcade. Standing in the center, hovering over the Pac Man machine was a tall, tan male, his hands worked the joystick as groups of people hovered like buzzards around him as they watched him work the magic, the points on the screen soared higher as the yellow disk continued to swallow the orbs whole, avoiding the ghosts that chased the maze for him. They chanted his name, David, David, it filled the air until..... Groans filled the air as the disk rotated and vanished into the black screen as the words Game Over filled the center in bright red text. Most the kids, all males, were disappointed at the sight but the tan male called David merely turned with a smile on his face. "FIRST PLACE YET AGAIN!" he said loudly, projecting his voice as the kids cheered. The smile was bright and white, his dark brown eyes, almost blacked closed as he walked forward. This was David Goll, a boy who stayed in the boarding school of Dalton Academy.

His arm moved as his hand patted a nearby blond on the back as he handed the boy, who was no older then sixteen a few quarters as he took his position hovering over the machine. "Well Warblers, I will see you all bright and early tomorrow for our meeting and practice." he smiled as the students, varying from sophomore fifteen to senior eighteen in age all waved or seemed pre-occupied in their boy-bliss of video games. The time was only 5:30pm, but for David, an hour and a half since the Warblers had departed their school on their Friday afternoon, he wished to partake in a personal feeding at the food court then a trip to the school library as he returned to his dorm room. Walking from the arcade, the noise faded into the background, peace returned to his humble musical ears, but not for long as his headphones glided through his fingertips, raising into the air with his arm as they were placed lightly into his ears. Hitting play, the iPod shuffled as a song appeared upon the screen. "Animal" by the Utah Band known as Neon Trees, the drumlin started as the vocalist leaped into full swing with the first verse of the lyrics, and with that David began his march towards the escalators to head upstairs to the food court.

"Here we go again..." David's soft soprano voice sang along with the lead singer, his voice swinging up and then lower to catch the note, his feet continued to move with the beat of the music, left, right, left then right. Continuing onward to his goal, his target, the Burger King that lay like a shining castle ahead, right above the escalator was the trail of vendor signs advertising their trademark logo of food, each like a treasure cove to the growling stomach of David. "Take a bite of my heart tonight." he continued to sing softly as the escalator glided skyward, carrying his weight as it soon reached it's peak, and with a single step, David was released from the track and continued his forward journey. He managed to make his way into the line, rather short, only two people ahead of him, so thus he played his favorite game. The Waiting game.

Four minutes passed as David now took his throne, his place at the front of the line. Ordering the grilled chicken sandwich on sour dough, the number 10, he took his food and took an empty table, looking around he noticed how crowded the shopping center had became over the hour he spent within the confines of the Arcade. There were no longer any seats as he took a bite of a french fry. "Say goodbye to my heart tonight"</sup>

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HERE WE GO AGAIN
we're sick like animals, we play pretend
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tagged; mia
lyrics; animal
by the neon trees
listening to; what you're listening to by the group/musician who sings it
word count; 6 9 4 w/out code
outfit; signiture
credit; to brooke from caution

[mia rhea landon]

The sound of freedom had carried Mia right out the front doors of McKinley High, but she had stayed behind to work on her cheer routine. Sue had continue to point out her many failures, even though apart from Quinn she was one of the top Cheerios. The harassment wasn’t all that bad, and it gave her an excuse to stay out late. Her moves were endless, she flipped forwards and backwards trying to perfect every movement. Even one finger out of place could be the end of her, or Sue would just badger her again. She’d probably say that she moved like an eighty year old woman or something close along those lines. Sometimes Mia wondered how in the world she came up with half the things she said to them and Mr. Schue. At least her coach was creative. They’d go far with her endless bantering, and even bring home a trophy. They had previous semesters but Sue continue to place the bar even higher than before. Mia vaguely remembered one time when she tried to get Brittany into a canon. That had been stretching it way too far when a fellow cheerleaders life was in danger. But they had to admit, she was committed to winning.

After another handspring Mia found that she was growing tired, she had already been out here for at least an hour. It would be dark soon and there was no way Mia was going to hang around campus that long. Grabbing her bag she quickly changed in the locker rooms and made a beeline for the exit. To her dismay it was still somewhat early and she didn’t want to go home just yet. Time was her enemy in Lima and she desperately tried to think of something to do. Her phone broke through the silence and ceased any potential thought. Reaching into her bag she produced a purple phone, the caller idea was blinking the word “Mom.” Shaking her head, Mia pressed the ignore button and looked around. Now that she was no longer in her cheerio uniform she felt more at ease. But it still didn’t solve her current problem. She needed an escape before someone noticed her standing around like some idiot. Where did students usually go to pass time? “God why didn’t I think of it before? The mall.”

Thirty minutes later she found herself wandering around the already packed mall. It was filled with whispers, and children’s screams. One had dropped an ice cream and was balling their eyes out, while a group of freshmen were speaking in hushed whispers about their latest crush. Mia smiled and continued walking, her dark brown hair was down now and she pushed a single strand behind her ear. Where could she even start? The mall always seemed to grow in size each time she went, and now she felt as though she were navigating a castle. Passing by an arcade she heard a few loud cheers and stopped, it seemed like a football game was taking place inside the small room. For a brief moment her nerves jumped, she’d be performing in a few weeks’ time and she still didn’t have the routine down yet. With a smile she decided it was best not to worry about it, what mattered now was finding something to eat. Mia had skipped out on breakfast, her mind only thinking about New Directions. Between both teams Mia was barely finding any time for herself.

It was frustrating to find how many lines had already formed up in the food court, families clustered in small groups while younger guys tried to pick up on shy girls. Some were pushing each other around as though trying to act impressive, but really it was rather embarrassing. Still Mia had to have a good laugh, but it didn’t satisfy her stomach. “What will it take to get food around here?” Then she turned and noticed a Burger King, the letters seemed to bulge and she found it almost tacky. Still, Mia found herself drawn to it like a magnet. The line wasn’t all that bad and soon enough she was giving her order. She had already decided on a cheeseburger and definitely their fries. The brightly colored tray slid into place containing her meal, Mia picked it up and tried to find a decent place to sit. She settled on a booth next to a guy she didn’t recognize. He didn’t go to McKinley, Mia would’ve known someone who looked like that day. But she tried not to look over in his direction, she didn’t want to seem rude. “Well this is better.” She said looking down at her food.

count : 783 tags : David
noted : anything?
credited : KBIRD of caution 2.0

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